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The moonflower and the morning glory are both members of the family Ipomoea and are close relatives of the sweet potato. Because of their similar cultural needs, these two flowers are regularly grown together. When paired, the night-blooming moonflower and the day-blooming morning glory combine to put on quite a show. Due to their fast growing habit, these tender, short-lived perennials create a living screen in no time.

Prepare the Bed

Although Ipomoeas grow readily in poor soils, they will not thrive in hard or compacted soil. Rototill the bed where the morning glories and moonflowers will be grown to a depth of at least 8 inches, making sure to incorporate plenty of compost to encourage draining. Both the morning glory and the moonflower are susceptible to drowning and edema, problems related to poor drainage.

Start Seeds Inside

Although the morning glory and the moonflower are considered direct-sow plants, they can actually benefit from being started inside. About three weeks prior to planting, start seeds in peat pots in a location where you can control the lighting conditions. After germination, allow only eight to 10 hours of light a day and ensure complete darkness for 14 to 16 hours at night. This short-day treatment will encourage more abundant flowers sooner.

Spacing and Care

Alternate moonflowers with morning glories when planting them outside. Allow no more than six to eight inches between the plants to encourage a thick screen. Adding 2 inches of mulch will help prevent the closely-spaced plants from drying out. Although Ipomoea can tolerate some abuse, for the best display water the plants regularly and deeply. Do not fertilize morning glories or moonflowers, or you will have an abundance of leaves and not many flowers.

Trellis Training

Moonflowers and morning glories will happily scramble over anything in their path. This behavior can lead to a pretty random effect if you intend to train them up a formal trellis. As the plants emerge, encourage them to grow where you want them by weaving them through your trellis and by pinching back side shoots. Discourage vines overlapping one another, since this can easily kill or weaken the plant on the bottom.

About the Author

Kristi Waterworth started her writing career in 1995 as a journalist for a local newspaper. From there, her meandering career path led to a 9 1/2 year stint in the real estate industry. Since 2010, she's written on a wide range of personal finance topics. Waterworth received a Bachelor of Arts in American history from Columbia College.